Place burden upon Trent
GARETH SHOULDN’T PASS UP CHANCE TO PLAY TAA TO GET OUT OF GROUP
KIERAN TRIPPIER is an outstanding footballer but I would play Trent Alexander-Arnold in all of England’s group games. He’s the best passer of the ball in the country, so why not use him?
We’ve seen how quickly players can get injured, so Iran could be the perfect game to utilise his quality and get him into the side.
Gareth Southgate won’t play that way, he will select Trippier (inset) at right-back because he will be petrified that if Alexander-Arnold does well, he will have to keep him in the team.
I would also play James Maddison – providing he is fit – on Monday. He’s one of our only players in top form.
Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane are playing out of their skins but besides that, only Maddison is really at the top of his game. If you don’t play him here or against the USA, there is no point in taking him.
My team for the opener would be Jordan Pickford and then a back four of Trent, John Stones, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw.
When it gets to the nitty gritty, it’s going to be a totally different team but if we want to win the World Cup, we have to beat the likes of Iran.
In midfield, I would pair Declan Rice with Bellingham – which would give Trent a licence to bomb forward – with Maddison just in front.
Then Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Kane. I want Southgate to pick players that are in form. The one thing I love about Maddison, and you can ask Jamie Vardy about this, is that he doesn’t mess about.
He gets on the half-turn and slips the forwards in without taking six or seven touches.
I worry about this game because Iran have a brilliant coach in Carlos Queiroz, who will set up his team to nullify our attacking threat.
Mason Mount and Trippier will certainly play in other matches but I don’t think they’re needed in this game.
It’s not the strongest
World Cup and we’ve already been in a final and a semi-final in the past two tournaments.
If England were a horse and this was the derby, you would give them every chance.
You’ve got to remember we aren’t the greatest side but nor are the other countries. Their squads aren’t filled with world-class players. Argentina have Lionel Messi coming towards the end of his career, Brazil have good players like Neymar but I fear we know which Neymar will turn up – the one that dives and does a lorry load of tricks. France have Kylian Mbappe but no Paul Pogba or N’Golo Kante, so I don’t know who will give him the ball and Belgium only really have Kevin De Bruyne. Germany have nobody of note and could be a big disappointment. I watched them against England at Wembley and they were terrible.
Then again, Germany always play like a top golfer. They are only interested in the Majors.
When you look at it that way, it’s a level playing field.